In a previous post I’ve argued against framing a preference for boy children as “culturally Asian.” New data from Gallup, sent in by Kari B., shows that this preference is alive and well among Americans, at least among young men. While women are most likely to have no opinion and about equally likely to prefer a girl or boy, men are significantly more likely to prefer a boy. This preference is strongest among younger men, but still present among men over 50. Whereas women become increasingly indifferent with age and, secondarily, begin to prefer girls.

The editors at CNN note that, since children are mostly born to young people, and indifferent women may bend to men’s preferences, new sex selection technologies threaten to create a gender imbalance in the U.S.

Interesting poll results, but I am not worried. The young people having all the children tend to be the ones who don't bother to use birth control - I'm not sure they would all of a sudden start paying attention once a pregnancy began. The older people, who may only have one shot at a child anyway, will be more likely to use (and afford) sex selection technology. It's that 30-to-49 demo you have to examine, and there's not that much of an imbalance.